The Dreamwalker
by archiveallie
Summary: There's an ancient power that holds fate in its hands, twisting and controlling the connections between people. The connection runs deep within the Yume Hokō-sha, or Dreamwalkers, connecting them with people as their protectors. When Kaminari Kobayashi is fated with Ichigo Kurosaki, she'll soon find out there's more to him and his world that she'll reluctantly have to be apart of.


**Chapter One**

The first time Ichigo had the dream was a month before the encounter with Rukia. It started out pitch black, almost shocking him with confusion as he floated in something akin to an abyss. Then, the darkness faded away into a blinding white room, everything sharp and so focused that he had to blink multiple times to get used to the stark white. The only thing, however, that was not in focus was another body in the room. He could tell it was a girl (or woman, that, he wasn't so certain of), from the outline of her body but her figure in general was blurred out. He remembers he called out to her to get her attention, but she never turned around, not even when he got closer to her. When she turned around on her own accord, her blurred out face and eyes making contact with his own caused him to jerk awake in a cold sweat.

Ichigo decided it was just a nightmare. How else could you describe a dream about a seemingly faceless girl?

So, eventually he forgot about the dream and it never returned to him until two weeks after Rukia gave Ichigo his shinigami powers. It didn't start out the same as the first dream, this time he appeared in the room immediately. Before, the room had been empty, save for the out of focus girl who stood in the middle it. Now the room had simple furniture residing in it, a small circular table and two white wooden chairs. To this day, Ichigo would not be able to explain why he felt almost disappointed that the girl was not there. She did appear, though, blurred out just the same as the first dream. Like before she stood in the middle of the room, back ramrod straight as it faces Ichigo. For some reason, he didn't have it in him to call out to her this time. This time he waited for her to turn and watched as she walked to one of the chairs, the blur surrounding her never fading or faltering. He watched as she took a seat on one of the chairs and almost as if he were watching an out of focus movie, he watched as she shifted in her seat. It was almost like she was waiting for someone.

He remembers his feet starting to move to the table and other empty chair, an unconscious pull taking him there without him realizing. But as soon as he took the third step, he sat up in bed in the same cold sweat as before.

It was getting too strange to call the dream a nightmare.

The dreams happened randomly, there really was no pattern or similarities between each dream he had. Each dream the blurry girl did something different and the more he saw her, the less blurry she became. But even with her whole body focused, he could never see her face.

The latest dream occurred four days before he left with Chad and Ishida to save Rukia from impending death. When Ichigo arrived in the blinding room, the girl was already sitting at the table, her back facing him and her entire body clear as day. A sharp jolt of excitement surged through him, maybe he can finally see her! But when he got to the other chair, disappointment washed over him as he saw that her face was blurred out completely. Despite her almost lack of a face, he sat down across from her, staring intently at her face to try to figure out her features through the blur. He could make out a thin nose, the corners of her lips, and he watched as her right eyebrow arched slightly.

What surprised him in this dream when he sees the girl sigh audibly, and he can _hear her do it_. The fact that he could hear her causes the excitement in him to soar again only to be squashed by a soft suspicion. Why can he hear her now? Why can't he see her face? An onslaught of wary questions bombarded his mind, distracting him. He almost missed what she did next.

Another sigh left her mouth and then she began to _speak_. He froze in surprise, his mouth dropping as he directed his attention onto her. Whatever she was saying he couldn't make out, her words were muffled and fading in and out. But he could hear her voice; a rough and deep tone to it. She only said a couple words but her just doing that caused Ichigo to halt all train of thought.

She stood up after a beat, a second, and started to walk away from the table. Ichigo shot out of his own chair, the force of him standing causing the chair to topple over. He didn't think that she would notice something like that, but the crash the chair made, made her stop in her tracks. She turned around so quickly, and Ichigo realized her eyes weren't blurred out anymore. Her entire face wasn't blurred out anymore. His breath caught in his throat and he took a step forward.

"Hey—!" He tried to speak to her, he did, but the moment one word left his mouth, he woke up.

He'd never be able to explain these dreams to anyone. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that these weren't normal dreams. That these dreams and this girl were a part of something bigger than he knew. But for some reason, despite this hidden knowledge, he wasn't wary of these dreams or this girl. To him it seemed perfectly normal; they were just dreams.

LINE BREAK

It's week after the fiasco of breaking into Soul Society and saving Rukia; a week after unknowingly being directly involved in something that would soon turn into a war. Ichigo hasn't had a dream since the days before the break in. He hates to admit it inwardly that it bothered him in a way, but it also made sense. He was too busy and too stressed with saving Rukia that his body and mind just didn't provide him with dreams, just blackness.

But it's been a week and he hasn't had a single dream that took place in the stark white room with the girl. Even though the last dream took place almost two weeks ago, he can still remember the girl's features clear as day. Her hair was a dark - almost black - brown that had soft waves to it, the ends just going past her ears. Narrow eyes with dark lashes and equally dark color in the eyes. Her lips were thin and had a couple soft laugh lines around the corners. Her nose was long, he remembers, that ended in a small, but almost cute upturn. She was also tall, almost as tall as he was, with broad shoulders and an obviously toned body (from sports, he guessed). With a blush he recalls that her chest isn't as generous as Orihime's, but were average and her body even had soft curves along with the muscle. Ichigo could tell just by her appearance that she was older than him, maybe by a couple years.

It should concern him, that he could remember her this clearly despite how long ago the last dream was. Yet for some reason, it seems only natural for him to have this clear of an image of her.

It's the late evening - almost night - and the teen is in his room sitting at his desk, brushing up on the homework he had missed over the days he and his friends were gone. It's fairly easy for him to catch up in his class, the curriculum was simple to understand. The time is getting late, but he had only a couple questions left for the homework until he felt it. There's ths tugging at the back of his mind and his eyebrows scrunch up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion and confusion. Was it a hollow? No, it didn't feel like a hollow. He turns in his seat, looking around his room with a careful eye. The tugging got stronger and his vision begins to fade at the corners. A surge of panic flows through his veins and he stands, unsure what to do against this invisible enemy. A final tug at his mind, though not painful, strongly brought him to a halt and he descends to the ground. His vision goes black before he hit the floor of his room.

Amber eyes shoot open and lanky limbs scramble to get Ichigo's body moving and up. His eyes blink furiously as they adjust to the blinding white of the room.

 _Wait._ He's back in the white room! A feeling of curiosity bubbles into his chest as he looks around, seeing the same furniture from the last time he was in the dream. Was the tugging in his mind because of the dream? That thought causes a strong feeling of suspicion to raise in his throat like a bad taste and he begins to walk slowly to one of the chairs. This feels different from the last dream. This feels more _real_. Less dreamlike. His eyes scan the spotless room, in hopes that maybe he'll see something that makes sense. And where is the girl? He keeps his slow pace towards the chairs when suddenly he feels a presence in the room, his back muscles tensing as it surrounds him in a warm and pulsing feeling.

"Can you hear me?" A rough yet low feminine voice echoes through the room. But Ichigo can tell it's coming from directly behind him.

He turns swiftly and his eyes widen at the sight of the girl from before. Her black eyes are watching him cautiously and her right hand twitches. She's wearing a loose fitting green shirt and grey sweatpants with the number seven on the hip in bold green. Her eyes widen just a fraction at his reaction to her speaking and she leans back, almost in shock.

"Who," Ichigo starts to say, pausing when his own voice echoes against the white walls. "Who are you? Where the hell are we?" He takes a step forward, silently wishing he had Zangetsu with him.

The girl falters for a moment, eyeing him with an emotion that Ichigo couldn't quite describe. "My name is Kaminari," she says, her rough voice gaining a softer tone, "and we," she gestures to the both of them, "are in your _chūkan basho_. Or in other words, your unconscious." The way she states this, makes it seem as if she were unsure of the name of the place itself.

Ichigo watches Kaminari warily, taking in her relaxed yet alert stance. She didn't seem like a threat and she definitely wasn't a threat in other dreams.

He rubs the back of his neck. "So," he trails off awkwardly, "we're in a dream of mine?" The girl nods slowly, a small smirk growing on her lips, causing a spark of irritation to bubble up. "What?" He snaps.

She holds up a hand, taking a breath and walks over to him, brushing his shoulder (he'll lie if asked why he tensed up) as she passes him. Carefully she takes a seat on one of the chairs, a dark eyebrow raised at him; a silent ask for him to join her. As he walks his way over to her, she begins to speak after a scratch at her chin, "Well, technically, we're in a shared dream. But a dream would mean that what's happening isn't real," she mumbles slowly as Ichigo takes his seat, a look of bewilderment.

"Are you saying," he says with a look of doubt mixing in his eyes, "that you're real?"

Kaminari lets out an amused snort at this. Her smirk only grows as she speaks, "Yeah, I'm real. I have my own life outside this room just like you, Ichigo." Her hand falls to her lap and she tilts her head in thought. "Your life just got really, ah, busy if you can finally," she gestures vaguely at the two of them, " _interact_."

Ichigo's face scrunches up into a scowl at the implication, the hint that she knows. "What does that even mean?" He growls out, suddenly on edge. "How would you know anything that happens to me?"

She deals him a rather unimpressed stare at his questions, one dark eyebrow raising. "I don't. I don't know what happened, just that something _happened_." She lets out a huff, looking upwards before settling her gaze on him once more. "Don't get your panties in a twist, I'm not some sort of stalker or whatever."

He can't place the feeling that washes over him at her words, a cool wave of _something_ that just eases the anxiety of her being something malicious. It's not even something he's doing knowingly, almost like his mind just feels the intentions. "How… how would something happen affect me seeing you?" Ichigo leans forward, eyebrows still stuck in his scowl; no longer accusing, just curious.

"Well," Kaminari drawls out, the corner of her mouth tugging into an awkward grimace, "I wish I could tell you? But I can't?" The words end in a strange questioning tone, her rough voice going up a pitch. She rolls her lips together before digging her teeth into her bottom lip. "Literally, I can't?"

Ichigo can feel frustration building up in his gut once again and he knows she can tell just from the sheepish look that develops on her features. "What does that mean," he asks flatly as he tries to reign in the irritation.

A coughlike laugh erupts from her chest, a noticeably nervous one. "It's against the rules, apparently." She tacks on the last word as if it will save her some face. "I can't tell you anything until we've met. In real life, not in your _chūkan basho_." The girl looks apologetic, and Ichigo once again, believes her without question.

He's not quite sure how he feels about this.

He stares at her for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he folds his arms over his chest as he leans back in the chair. "In real life?" Ichigo finally asks, the question making Kaminari purse her lips.

"Yeah," is all she says. Ichigo's eyebrow twitches. She groans loudly, running her hands through her short hair. "When I say I can't tell you, I mean it. I can't tell you anything more than what I've already said."

"Unless we meet in person," he mutters, shifting in his seat as a strange feeling passes over him.

Kaminari shifts in her chair as well, a smile - a genuine, pretty smile - growing on her face. " _Until_ we meet in person." She chuckles as she points a finger at him. "Someone's trying to wake you up." At those words, the white room begins to shake, the table rattling with the movement. Ichigo's eyes widen as Kaminari's appearance begins to alter, her body becoming almost transparent. He's quick to stand, the chair he was sitting on immediately dissolving. He doesn't understand why, but something in him is worried for her, despite her calmness. It's odd, how she almost seems to know what he's about to say as he opens his mouth to speak. "Don't worry," she waves a hand dismissively, "you'll see me again." She smirks, disappearing fully, drawing a surprised yelp from Ichigo. The room goes black and he opens his eyes.

He quickly closes his eyes at the brightness of his room, squeezing them shut tightly. A groan comes from his throat as he feels small hands shaking at his shoulder. "-igo! Ichigo, are you alright?"

Wait. He knows this voice. Ichigo's eyes shoot open as he sits upright, gaping openly at Rukia. Rukia. _Rukia is in his room_. His back muscles tense as he takes in her worried expression, her _shihakushō_. "Rukia, what?" He squints. "What are you doing here?"

Of course, the question garners an angry huff from the small woman, her worried features morphing into something akin to angry relief. Before he knows it, a large smack rings through his room and a stinging pain blooms on the back of his head. He hisses, grabbing at the spot, looking at Rukia incredulously. She rolls her eyes, shaking out her hand.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asks, her concern breaking through her brusque tone. Violet eyes peer at him and he watches a black strand of hair fall against her face.

"Yeah," he huffs out, glancing away as he scratches at the back of his neck to avoid her stare, "Why wouldn't I be?"

One of her thin black brows raises, clearly unimpressed. "Fool, you were unconscious on the floor, I highly doubt you were just taking a nap." Rukia stands, brushing off the pants of her _shihakushō_ before taking a seat on his bed, an expectant look on her face.

Ichigo clenches his jaw, his forehead furrowing into a defensive scowl. Really, there's no good excuse that he could provide her with. Swallowing slowly then biting the inside of his cheek, he spares her one stare. "I dunno," he mutters, quickly glancing away from her intense gaze. He's not sure why he spares her the information of his dreams, something he's never spoken of to anyone. It may be important to share, but something in him doesn't want to. Not yet.

"How do you not know?" He winces at her sharp tone, brushing it off with a tsk. Her dark eyes narrow at him and he can feel the oncoming interrogation. "Why are you on the floor then?"

He huffs softly, knowing she's trying to set him up, trap him, into telling her. He mulls over what to say, picking careful words in an attempt to throw her off. God, he's so bad at lying. "Maybe I did fall asleep," he tries. "I had a busy day, ya know. Dealing with my dad, school. Shinigami stuff." He winces, swiftly turning it into a scowl. He didn't think her eyes could narrow any more than she already has.

"Stuff," she intones flatly. After knowing him for so long now, she can see the signs of him lying, it's almost comedic in a way. He scratches at his neck, avoids her eyes. All telling. She's frustrated that he won't share with her, but won't push it. Contrary to his belief, she's patient. She'll either find out or he'll grow a backbone and tell her himself.

Rukia doesn't say anything after that and Ichigo almost breaks into a cold sweat as she stares at him. "Yeah," he grunts out, standing from his spot on the floor, making use of his arms by stretching over his head. She stays silent for one more beat before nodding subtly to herself, hopping off his bed and making her way to his closet. He watches her walk, blinking rapidly.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to bed."

He watches her as she opens his closet and begins to set up her bed. He blinks, glancing out his open window (that definitely _was not_ open while he was doing his homework). Rukia chuckles to herself smugly, as Ichigo openly gapes at his window before whipping his head to face her, clearly enraged. She's rather glad she accepted the chance to return.

Many miles from Karakura Town in the city of Yokohama, a light switches on in an apartment complex and a rough yet feminine voice can be heard swearing loudly.

* * *

so this is a concept i've had...for a while lmao and i recently found it and decided to try something with it. this fic is gonna be very oc centric and if i didn't make it clear in the tags: the relationship with kami and ichigo is purely platonic. i have something romantic planned for her and renji later on, but it's gonna be pretty slow burn.

my update schedule is gonna be based on when i finish the next chapter. i already have the second and third chapters written but i'm only going to post the second one once i finish writing the fourth. so... sporadic updates? dbgkjs i'll try not to suck Too much at it

every chapter i write for this fic is dedicated to my friend, my pal, alexa, who is writing her own bleach fic! i'll link it here one day when she sucks it up and posts her first chapter uwu

please leave a review/comment and thanks for reading

(also, i Know i have another bleach oc fic i'll...honestly do a revamp one day)


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